A group of 鶹 engineering students has developed an innovative solution to a unique campus problem: saving ducklings from a territorial turtle by building a safety ramp in a pond with steep walls that prevent escape.
Each spring, a pair of mallard ducks nest near the high-walled pond in front of Albert Brooks Gornto Jr. Hall. The ducklings typically hatch in April and learn to swim in the pond before they learn to fly. However, the steep edges of the pond make it nearly impossible for the pre-flight ducklings to climb out on their own.
Over the years, 鶹 staff members with offices in Gornto Hall have improvised makeshift escape ramps using cardboard, pool noodles, and even wading into the pond to rescue the ducklings.
Adding to the complexity is the pond's longtime resident: a yellow-bellied slider turtle named Albert Doug Turtle. Albert–who is actually female–has lived in the pond since at least 2014. She often suns herself on the 'Duck Inn,' a floating wooden structure built in 2017.
Last year, when the ducklings attempted to rest on the “Duck Inn,” Albert became territorial, and several ducklings were attacked and killed.
A chance conversation between Lisa Kivin, Ph.D., associate vice president for Student Experience, and Jeffrey LaCombe, Ph.D., associate dean for Undergraduate and Graduate Education, sparked an idea for a more permanent and urgent solution to save future ducklings.
LaCombe enlisted the help of the 鶹 Engineering Ambassadors to design a safe, functional ramp that would allow ducklings to enter and exit the pond at will. The student team dubbed the project “Operation Ducklift.” They conducted site visits, prepared a cost estimate, and designed a lightweight wooden ramp that met several criteria: it had to be safe for ducklings, prevent turtle access, and it can be removed at the end of the season.
The ramp was constructed in the University’s Monarch Engineering and Innovation Laboratory (M-Lab) and installed in Gornto Pond on April 11. The temporary structure will remain in place until the ducklings can leave the pond independently, after which it will be stored until next spring.
Team members included Karissa Crawford, Rachel Crenshaw, Ivy Edwards, Caden Obermeyer and Tyler Cason from the M-Lab.
“This partnership with engineering students has been the best-case scenario,” Dr. Kivin said. “It is a meaningful service-learning project for them and a way for staff and students to come together.”
Albert, whose story is chronicled on the Facebook page “,” remains a beloved yet controversial figure on campus. While she continues to bask at the Duck Inn, students and staff hope the new ramp will give ducklings a safe way in and out of the pond and provide Albert the space she needs.
The public is invited to visit the pond and observe the ramp in action.
Photograph (From left to right): Caden Obermeyer, Tyler Cason, Karissa Crawford, Ivy Edwards and Rachel Crenshaw.